David M. Peña-Guzmán in Talking Animals, Law & Philosophy
For a long time, humans have imagined that their imagination is what sets them apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. But the behavior of plenty of nonhuman animals suggests that they, too, have the capacity to relate to "irreal" phenomena as if they were part of the fabric of reality. In this presentation, we will explore some of these behaviors and consider what they mean for the future of human-animal relations.
David M. Peña-Guzmán is Associate Professor of Humanities at San Francisco State University and co-host of the philosophy podcast Overthink. He specializes in animal studies, the history and philosophy of science, French philosophy, and theories of consciousness. He is the author of When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness, and co-author of Chimpanzee Rights: The Philosophers’ Brief.